stevens



I (No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. H. STEVENS & E. L. HOWARD.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SHANK- STIFFENERS.

No. 596,282. Patentd Dec. 28,1897.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. H. STEVENS & E. L. HOWARD.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SHANK STIFFENERS. No. 596,282.

Patented Dec. 28,1897.

48 29 12 I 62 I 8 1 I l 60 J6 o 660 0 J6 v Witnesses: fez/01,6021;

1- Nonms pz'rzns cu. Putnam-mo w summon. u. c.

UNTTEE STATES PATENT @EETEE.

GEORGE H. STEVENS, OF MELROSE, AND ELIJAII L. HOWARD, OF HINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS; SAID HOWARD ASSIGNOR TO SAID STEVENS.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SHANK-STIFFENERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part be Letters Patent No. 596,282, dated December 28, 1897.

7 Application filed October 28, 1896. Serial No. 610,325. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that We,GEORGE H. STEVENS, residing at Melrose, in the county of Middlesex,and ELIJAH L. HOWARD,residing at Hingham, in the county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, citizens of the United States,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Manufacturing Shank- Stiffeners, of which the following is a specifi- I0 cation, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

- Our invention has for its object to provide an improved machine for forming shank-stiffene'rs for boots or shoes.

The invention is fully set forth in the following description, and the novel features thereof are pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In describing the invention we will refer to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved machine. Fig. 2 is a front view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the forward portion of the machine, viewed from the oppositeside to that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan View showing the feeding mechanism and cutting mechanism and the molding rolls. Fig. 5

shows certain details.

In forming a shank-stiffener for boots or shoes from leather-board or similar material, such as is commonly used for the purpose, we first form the leather-board into strips of a width equal to the length of the shank to be 5 formed. Thesestrips are skived at the opposite edges in order to form a shank-blank which is skived or thinned at the opposite ends, and the strips having thus been prepared are ready to be inserted in our improved machine to be worked up or formed into completed shanks which are ready for 'use, the machine doing automatically the entire work of forming the shank-stiffener and molding it to shape.

5 Referring to the drawings, A is the base or bed of the machine, and B an upright forwardly-projecting frame. Power is applied, preferably, by means of a belt on the pulley C, said pulley being mounted on a shaft D,

10, journaled in the top of the frame B.

is mounted on the shaft 3, the latter being journaled in the upright supports 1, 5, and 6. The gear 2 is also in mesh with an intermediate gear '7, mounted on a stud 8, projecting from the frame B. The gear 7 is in mesh with the gear 9, which is mounted on a shaft The forward end of the shaft 10 is provided with a crank 11, connected by means of a link 101 with a pin or other suitable connection on the rear face of the vertically-reciprocating head H. The said head II slides vertically in ways 111 on the forward end of the frame B and carries a cutter-block K, to the lower edge of which the upper cutter or punch 12 is secured. The plate or block K is preferably ad j ustable by means of a screw 13, Fig.

1, the said screw 13 being passed upwardly through the rearwardly-proj ectin g lower portion of the block K, as will be clear from said figure. After adjusting the screw 13 the block K is seated against the head of the screw 13 by means of the screws 135, and is firmly secured in position by means of the screw-bolts 14 and 141. By this arrangement a vertical adjustment of the cutter 12 may be efiected when desired. The cutter 12 is formed with a backing, asshown, Fig. 2, and

is secured in place on the block K by means of set-screws 15. The face of the cutter 12 is slightly beveling, so that it will sever the material with a shearing cut.

The lower cutter comprises two parts 16 16, which are secured in place on the bed 17 by means of bolts 18, which pass through slots in the said parts 16, thus permitting of the adj ustment of the said parts 16 toward and from each other. By loosening the screws 18 and turning the set-screws19 an adjustment of the halves or portions 16 of the lower cutter may be made, thus providing for the cutting of shanks of greater or less width. The proximate faces of the parts 16 are curved, as shown, Fig. 4, thus leaving a space between 5 the parts 16 corresponding in shape with the blank to be out. As will be clear, the contour of the space between the parts 16 of the lower cutter, as also the upper cutter 12, which corresponds in shape with the said space, may, Ioo be changed, as desired, to form shanks of. various shapes. In front of the bed 17, which supports the lower cutters, is firmly secured a bracket 20, the latter being secured by bolts 21 to the upright portion 22, which supports the bed 17.. A cross portion 23 of the said bracket receives a screw-bolt 24, which is provided with projecting pins 25, (see Fig. 2,) by means of which it may be turned. The said bolt 24 passes into a threaded socket in the downwardly-projecting portion 251 on the work-support 26. By this means the said work support or table 26 may be adjusted vertically when desired. On the said worksupport 26 we secure guides27, which may be adjusted nearer to or farther from each other and set at any point and between which the strips of material from which the shanks are formed pass as they are fed forward into the machine. The said guides 27 serve to guide the said strips as they are fed forward.

For the purpose of feeding the strips forward we provide two feed-rolls 28 and 29, the latter of which is mounted in uprights 30, secured on the said bracket 20. Said feed-rolls are operated as follows: On the shafts or journals of the said rolls 28. and 29 and at one end of said rolls we secure the gears 31 and 32, one of said gears being placed on each of the said journals. The lower feedroll 29, as previously stated, is journaled in the uprights 30. The upper feed-roll is journaled between swinging arms, hereinafter referred to, and the upright 30 is cut away to permit of the upward movement or swing of the said upper feed-roll. On the said upright 30 is secured a stud 33, on which is pivoted an arm 34, the boss of said arm being provided with a pawl 35. On the said stud 33 is also placed a gear 36, which is mounted loosely thereon and to which is secured a ratchet 350, which as the arm 34 is moved in one direction is engaged by the said pawl 35 and caused to move in unison with the said arm, while as the said arm is moved in the opposite direction the ratchet 350 and gear 36 remain stationary. In this way an intermittent movement is communicated to gear 36. The said gear 36 is in mesh with gear of the lower feed-roll and operates the said gear 32, as also the lower feed-roll, intermittently, as will be clear. The gear 31 of the upper feed-roll is also operated from said gear 36 through an intermediate gear 37, which is mounted loosely on the end of the shaft or rod 38, upon which the arms 39 and 40 (see Fig. at) are rigidly secured. The said upper feed-roll 28 is mounted between the said arms 39 and 40, and by this arrangement the said upper feed-roll may be raised relatively to the said lower feed-roll 29 without moving the gear 31 out of engagement with the gear 37, and thus the upper feed-roll will continue to operate in its raised position. Said roll will thus operate effectively regardless of the thickness of the stock which is passing between it and the lower feed-roll. For the purpose of raising the upper feed-roll we provide a projecting arm 41. B y depressing the free end of the arm 41 the upper feed'roll may be raised.

For the purpose of communicatingaswinging movement to the arm 3% we connect the said arm pivotally by means of the connect ing rod or link 42 with a bell'crank lever 43, which is pivotally secured at 44. to the supporting-table 17. The forward end of the link 42 is secured to the arm 3-]: by means of a belt 421, which passes through a slot L22, which is formed lengthwise of the said arm 34 and which permits of the adjustment of the link at! relatively to the said arm when it is desired to lengthen or shorten the reciprocatin g movement thereof. The upper end of the bell-crank 43 is pivoted to avertical connection 45, the upper end of said connection being pivotally secured at -16 to a stud or projeetion 47 on the rear of the vertically-reciprocating head II. It will thus be clear that at each vertical reciprocation of the head II the feed-rolls 2S and 29 will be caused to feed the stock forward.

The slot 4522 mentioned above provides for enabling the stroke of the arm 3i and its pawl 35 to be varied as desired. For the pn rpose of enabling a definite range of adjustment to be more conveniently and easily effected we provide in addition the following devices: At 361 is a guard or shield disposed concentrically with the 'wheel 36 and inclosing a large part of the periphery of the said wheel. This guard is mounted upon thehub of the ratchet 350 and is adapted to be moved around the axis of the latter. In its return movement after actuating the feed-rolls the pawl 35 rides up upon one end of this guard or shield, so as to be withdrawn from the teeth of the said ratchet, while in its forward movement the said pawl drops off the said end of the guard or shield into engagement again with the said teeth. As will be obvious, by making adjustment of the said guard or shield around the ratchet the time at which the pawl comes into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet may be varied as required. In order to effect the adjustment of the guard or shield, we fix thereto an arm 362, having a suitable pin or other projection 363, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 5. At 364 is a latch pivotally mounted upon a suitable portion of the machine-framing and acted upon by a spring 365,wl1ich tends to hold the latch in engagement with the pin 363 of the arm. 362. The latch 364 is provided with a number of notches, into any one of which the said pin may be received. This arm 362 serves as a convenient means of turning the guard or shield 361, and the latch 364:, through its ongagement with the pin 363 on the said arm,

holds the parts in the position which has been given them. By arranging the parts so that each notch in the latch 36st will correspond with a tooth on the ratchet a definite adjustment may be quickly and accurately made. After the stock has been fed forward underneath the vertically-moving punch or cutter IIO the halves or portions of the lower cutter 16 onto the bed 17. The blank thus cut is then passed to the left (see Fig. 4) and fed between the molding and compressing rolls 48 and 49.

For the purpose of feeding the blank forward to these rolls we provide a transferring mechanism comprising a reciprocating feed-slide 50, which reciprocates in a groove or track formed in the bed 17. At a point on said feedslide we provide an upward projection 51, which is adjustable lengthwise of said slide 50 by being placed on a sliding bar 510, mounted in a recess in said slide 50. When the cut blank has been forced down onto the slide 50, the projection 51 is directly at the rear of or at one end of said blank, so that as the feedslide 50 is moved forward it will carry the said blank forward with it to the said molding rolls 48 and 49. At the forward end of said slide 50 we prefer, for greater certainty in the feed movement, to place an upwardly-projecting point or points, onto which the blank is forced by the punch or cutter 12. These points penetrate the surface of the blank slightly and serve to hold it as it is fed forward to the rolls. As the meeting-point of the rolls is slightly above the level of the bed 17, when the end of the blank is caught by the rolls it-is lifted slightly, freeing the blanks from the said point or points and permitting the points and feed-slide to be retracted or moved back into position for the next forward feed movement. The projection 51 is also preferably a spring projection, so that if it is struck by the downwardlymoving punch 12 it will yield and will rise again as the said punch rises. In order to render more certain the feeding forward of the cut blanks by the feed-slide50, so that they will properly enter between the molding or die rolls, we provide side guides 171 and 172. These guides extend from the said dierolls to the lower cutting-die, and the blank as it is fed forward passes between them. Plates 173 and 174 are secured to the guides 171 and 172,- respectively, and the said plates are adapted to slide in slots formed on the bed 17. The said plates 173 and 174 are each provided with a slot lengthwise thereof, through which the bolts 175 176, respectively, pass. By this arrangement the said guides 171 and 172 may be adjusted nearer to or farther' from each other and firmly secured in place, thus providing for blanks of different widths. To reciprocate the slide 50, we provide at the rear end thereof and pivotally connected with an upwardly-proj ectin g piece 513 a link 52, the other end of said link being pivotally connected with the downwardlyprojecting arm 53 of a bell-crank lever, which is pivoted on a stud 54, projecting from the horizontal arm 55, which is fast on the frame of the machine. The piece 513 is preferably feed-slide 50. Washers 545, preferably of leather, are placed on said stud 54 on each side of saidbell-crank and serve to give a slight friction and thus prevent the bellcrank from moving too freely on its pivot. The said bell-crank is provided with an arm 56, which projects across or onto the face of the vertically-moving head H. Two pins 57 and 58 are set in the face of the head-H,'the upperpin 58 being adjustable to provide for Varying the throw ofthebell-crank; The said pins project below and above the said arm'56, respectively, and as the head H moves downwardly the upper pin 58 will come in contact with the arm 56 and cause the bellcrank to move on its pivot, thus retracting the feed-slide 50. When the head H moves upwardly again, the bell-crank will remain stationary until the lower pin 57 comes in contact with the lower edge of the arm 56, and then during the further upward movement of the head H the bell-crank will be moved in the opposite direction, moving forward the feed-slide 50 and causing the blank in engagement therewith to be fed to the molding-rolls. There is thus a dwell or period of rest after the feed-slide 50 has been retracted.- This period of rest occurswhile the punch is beginning its upward movement and contin-uesuntil the punch 12 has been raised sufficiently to permit the blank to be fed forward. The upper portion of the head H is provided with a horizontally sliding plate P, secured to the head by means of a screwbolt 120, which passes through a slot 122. l/Vhen it is desired to lessen or increase the throw of the bell-crank which actuates the feed-slide 50, the plate P may be moved to the left or right, respectively, thus varying the point at which the arm 56 is engaged by the pins 57 and 58 and varying the throw of the said lever and the movement of the feed-slide. By operating the feed-slide in the manner described, by means of'a bell-crankfloperated from the movement of the reciprocating head H, an adjustment may be obtained and the throw of the feed-slide 5O regulated as desired. The upper molding-roll 48 is provided on its periphery with a recess corresponding in shape to the shape desired in the complete shank-sti flenin g, while the lower'molding-roll 49 may be either a roll having a fiat periphery, or it may also be provided with a recess corresponding with and registering with the recess in the upper roll 48. If one side of the shank-stilfening is to be flat, the lower roll 49 will have a flat periphery. If, on the contrary, both sides of the stiffening are to be curved or shaped transversely, the lower roll 49 will be recessed or provided with a cavity to correspond with the lower or under side of the stiffening. As commonly made, shankstiffenings are flat on one side, and the periphery of one of the rolls is therefore plain,

while the periphery'of the other roll is reing in shape with the shape of the finished shank-stiffening. Such rolls are not novel in themselves and will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. The shank-stiffening when passing through these rolls is not only molded and compressed to give it the proper curves transversely, but by using a shoe behind the rolls the stiffening is given the curve lengthwise which is desired in the finished article. The said molding and compressing rolls l8 and t9 are mounted on shafts and 3, respectively. The shaft 3 carries the gear 61, which is in mesh with the gear 62 on the shaft 60, which latter is journaled in the uprights 5 and 6.

As the rolls 48 and 49 require to be removed and replaced, we provide for the ready removal and replacement of them as follows: The upright U, which is secured on a block 70. which is bolted to the bed A, may be removed by removing the screw-bolt 71, by means of which said block is secured to the bed. The rolls 4S and 49 may then, after their means of adjustment to their respective shafts have been loosened, be slipped off the ends of the said shafts, as will be clear. For the purpose of securing the rolls 4S and 49 firmly 011 their shafts we provide each roll with a split collar 72, which at the side opposite the cut or split is secured by means of a bolt 73 to the face of the molding-roll. The other or split side of the collar is provided with a clamping-bolt 74, which after the roll is in position on the shaft is firmly set up, thus clamping the collar securely on the shaft and firmly securing the roll thereon. By this arrangement the roll is very firmly secured in place, may be readily moved 011 the shaft to effect perfect registration with the lower roll, and may be instantly removed and replaced by loosening the collar-clamping screw. By thus gripping the shaft by means of the collar all abrasion or roughening of the shaft is avoided, renderin g it easy to slip the molding-roll off or on quickly and without danger of its sticking.

As previously described, the machine is automatic in its operation, it being only necessary to supply to the feed-rolls the strips of material from which the shanks are out. These strips are then fed forward automatically, the blanks are cut and are then fed to the molding and compressing rolls, and the shanks issue from the said rolls in a finished condition.

What we claim is 1. The combination with the upper die or cutter 12, and means for operating the same, of the lower cutter devices comprising the two separate parts 16, 10, having the proximate faces thereof shaped to suit the contour of the edges of the blank to be produced, and means to adjust the said parts 16, 16 toward and from each other to provide for the cutting of blanks of greater or less width substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the lower feedroll and the gear on the shaft thereof, of the upper feed-roll and the gear on the shaft thereof, the swinging frame by which the said upper feed-roll is supported, the intermediate or carrier gear engaging with the gear on the said upper feed-roll, and the actuating-gear in engagement with the said intermediate gear and with the gear on the lower feed-roll, whereby to rotate both of the said feed-rolls in unison and also permit movement of the upper feed-roll toward and from the lower feed-roll, substantially as described.

The combination with the fced-rolls and the actuating devices therefor, includingan oscillating pawl and a wheel which is engaged therewith and from which wheel motion is transmitted to the said feed-rolls, of the guard disposed concentrically with relation to the said wheel, the arm joined to the said guard, and the notched rack-bar to engage with the said arm, whereby to provide for adjusting the position of the said guard as required to communicate the desired extent of movement of rotation to the feed-rolls, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the lowerdic, the upper die cooperating therewith, the reciprocating head carrying the said upper die, the transferring device whereby each blank formed by the action of the said dies is moved endwise, the compressing and molding rolls located laterally with relation to the said dies, and between which the end of the blank is inserted by the action of the said transferring device, the bell-crank by means of which the said transferring device is actuated, and projections carried by the said head to engage with the said bell-crank for the purpose of communicating movement thereto, and to the transferring device as the said head moves in opposite directions, and provisions for adjustin g the distance apart of the said projections to vary the extent of the lost motion and thereby determine the time at which in the movement of the. said head the transferring device shall be operated, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the lower die, the upper die for cooperating therewith, the reciprocating head carrying the said upper die, the transferring device whereby each blank formed by the action of the said dies is moved endwise, the compressing and molding rolls located laterally with relation to the said dies, and between which the end of the blank is inserted by the action of the said transferring device,the bell-crank by means of which the said transferring device is actuated, and projections carried by the said head to engage with the said bell-crank for the purpose of com mu nicating movement thereto and to the transferring device as the said head moves in opposite directions, and provisions for adjusting the said projections laterally to vary the point at which they engage the said bell-crank and thereby determining the extent of move- IIO IIS

ment of the latter and of the transferring device operated thereby, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a pair of molding and compressing rolls, the shafts 011 which the said rolls are mounted -removably, split collars mounted on the said shafts adjacent to the rolls, means to clamp the said collars fixedly upon the said shafts, and means to couple the said rolls with the said collars whereby to cause the rolls to rotate in unison with the shafts and with capacity for readily being removed from the shafts and replaced thereon, substantially as described.

7 The combination, in an organized machine for making shank-stiffeners, of the following instrumentalities, to wit: a pair of feed-rolls by means of which to feed forward the strip of material from which the shankstiffeners are to be produced, gearing by means of which to actuate the said feed-rolls, a lower die and an upper die by means of which to cut from the said strip the blanks for the said shank-stiffeners, atransferring device by means of which each blank formed by the action of the said dies is carried transversely, a pair of compressing and molding rolls located laterally with relation to the dies between which the end of each blank in succession is inserted by means of the transferring device, a reciprocating head whereby to actuate the upper die, projections carried thereby, a bell-crank actuated by the said projections connected with the transferring device where-by to operate the latter and connecting devices intermediate the said head and the actuating-gearing of the feed-rolls whereby to rotate the latter intermittently in order to effect the feeding forward of the strip of material, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signaturesin presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. STEVENS. ELIJ AH L. HOl/VARD.

Witnesses:

WM. A. MACLEOD, ALICE I-I. MORRISON. 

